In recent times, the need to prevent repuncture with a used syringe needle has become of paramount importance in view of the AIDS epidemic.
Laboratory personnel and doctors have become accidentally infected with the AIDS, HIV virus by puncturing themselves with needles used to inject or draw blood from an AIDS infected patient.
To prevent repuncture, many devices have been invented to cover the tip of the needle after use.
While all of these devices are useful and workable, many are bulky, unsightly and inconvenient to deploy.
Most of these prior art devices use a plastic sheath that is mechanically actuated either in a spring-like or hinge-like manner. These hinge-like units widen at their base to form a butterfly shape in their retracted position, which shape is both unsightly and bulky.
Such devices are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,139,009, issued: Feb. 13, 1979; and 4,735,618, issued: Apr. 5, 1988.
Some devices use a snap-over extension guard, such as that illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,658,061, issued: Apr. 5, 1972. These type of devices are generally bulky and inconvenient to deploy.
The present invention seeks to provide a simple, reliable device for covering a hypodermic needle after its initial use, so that it cannot be reused.
The present invention also provides a new method of actuating the needle guard that allows the guard to assume a small profile in the retracted, inactivated state.